Journal of cardiothoracic and vascular anesthesia
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J. Cardiothorac. Vasc. Anesth. · Oct 2014
Current Use of Ultrasound Transmission Gel for Transesophageal Echocardiogram Examinations: A Survey of Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Fellowship Directors.
Ultrasound transmission gel (USTG) is used routinely to enhance the image quality during transesophageal echocardiogram examinations. Ultrasound gel is manufactured in both sterile and non-sterile preparations, and both preparations have been used during transesophageal echocardiograms in the United States. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) currently recommends that all transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) examinations be performed using sterile ultrasound gel. The authors sought to identify if anesthesiology departments with cardiothoracic fellowship programs follow current FDA recommendations of using sterile ultrasound gel during TEE examination. ⋯ A majority of cardiothoracic program director respondents to the authors' survey do not utilize single-use sterile packets of USTG for TEE examinations. While the infectious risk of USTG used for TEE examinations from multiple-use containers versus single-use sterile containers has not been established clearly, a change in practice to follow the current FDA recommendations may be advised.
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J. Cardiothorac. Vasc. Anesth. · Oct 2014
Relationship Between Tricuspid Annular Excursion and Velocity in Cardiac Surgical Patients.
The primary objective of this study was to establish the relationship among tricuspid annular velocity (S'), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), and stroke volume (SV) in a cardiac surgical population with and without right ventricular (RV) dysfunction. The secondary objective was to assess the effect of ephedrine on these relationships in a population without RV dysfunction. ⋯ In the presence of RV dysfunction, TAPSE did not correlate with cardiac output. In the absence of RV dysfunction, the relationship between TAPSE and S' described a curvilinear relationship.